Grab Your Broomsticks and Join The SU’s Quidditch Tournament
By: Nesrien Abdelkader
@NesrienAshraf
Welcome witches and wizards to AUC’s first ever Quidditch tournament on campus.
Taking a walk through the gardens this week will leave one wondering whether they’re in AUC or Hogwarts as the Student Union (SU) hosts a Quidditch tournment.
Quidditch is a fictional sport from the world of Harry Potter where wizards compete against each other with three different types of balls and hoops while flying around on broomsticks.
Haya Hossam, SU Events Planning and Entertainment co-head, said that about 32 teams have signed up to participate in the competition which is taking place in the gardens from October 14 until October 17.
“We’re trying to entertain in a different way and in a unique way. We have so many potterheads in the university. I chose Quidditch not only because it’s popular, but because it’s unique,” Hossam said.
She also added that this is the first official Quidditch tournament to happen in Egypt.
Another SU Co-head of Events Planning and Entertainment Hend Imam explained that since entertainment is the main aim of their committee, the Harry Potter theme was not random since it included people of different interests within AUC.
“We chose the Quidditch tournament because we’re trying to tackle all the segments and interests in the university. So for Quidditch we’re trying to segment the sports part. It’s a mix of sports and it is still fun,” she said.
Imam added that there will be a 5000 EGP prize awarded to the winning team of five.
The popularity of the Harry Potter series, which chronicles the life of a young wizard, over 20 years after its release is another reason for the theme of the event.
Imam explained that to bring the sport to real life, it would be a mix of mainly dodge ball and volleyball. The main goal for competitors is to try to get balls into the hoops in order to win while others throw balls at them to stop them.
Harry Potter fans were excited about the event and many turned up to play or even just to watch the matches.
Hala Koura, Economics sophomore, explained that she was a huge fan of the series and wanted to sign up for the tournament the moment she heard about it.
“I haven’t gone to something like this before, and it’s an amazing idea. Anything Harry Potter themed is for me,” she said.
However, people who were not huge potterheads still had a great time participating in the event.
Communication and Media Arts Sophomore Hassan Khalafallah said that even though he has never seen a Harry Potter movie, he still signed up because his friends were competing and it ended up being a fun experience.
Hossam also mentioned that there are other corners at the event besides the tournament for those not playing to enjoy, including a photo booth, an inflatable volleyball court, snacks and a caricature artist who draws people’s pictures.
